Volume 1, Chapter 22: Since He Refused to Listen to Reason, He Decided to Resort to Fists

Afternoon.

Prompted by a "prominent industry figure," numerous gossip accounts began reposting the incident regarding Su Nianxi's fall from a wire rig. The entire trending topic feed was a miasma of insults and vitriol.

The archers began their shift change, swapping out one by one. In just a minute, the row of archers atop the wall had been entirely replaced.

The bearded man left. On that very night, Old Man Hu's fate was irrevocably altered; his hair turned white overnight, and from that moment on, he truly became "Old Man Hu."

Helan Yao felt a sudden surge of stifling frustration. Although she had guessed, back when she decided to save Long Shaoyan, that he might have intentionally said those words to tug at her heartstrings, knowing his true motives still inevitably stirred her anger... and disappointment.

"Sister Ye, you have a dinner appointment with President Lan, don't you? Word is that your promotion to editor-in-chief is all thanks to him, so it’s only natural to treat him to a meal. But it’s strange that he actually accepted. Sister Ye, could he be pursuing you?" Shen Xiaotang asked.

"In truth, the composite armor mentioned in the diary he gave us—the one using armored steel paired with fire-resistant rubber—is merely the standard configuration. The top-tier version is a new, powerful type of depleted uranium armor, and those details are recorded in the second diary."

Under such circumstances, accelerating military development and ensuring combat readiness was naturally the only path. The problem, however, was the nation’s financial distress; with limited military funding, whatever could be spared was a mere drop in the bucket. Even so, it had to be spent where it mattered most, such as forming tank divisions or procuring fighter jets and warships.

"You're still laughing? You did this on purpose! On purpose!" Yun Qixi shoved him hard, her state bordering on the frantic madness of someone embarrassed into anger.

Meeting his profound, scrutinizing gaze, Yun Qixi felt her ears burn, a wave of inexplicable nervousness washing over her. Even if she was often unwilling to admit it, the fact remained: that face of his—whether cold and aloof, indifferent, or as it was now, tinged with a hint of confusion and melancholy—could easily make it impossible for anyone to look away.

"When Sister Zhou returns, we shall ask the Empress Dowager to let her recount it to us in detail!" Dan Zhu said, masking her envy with a plea.

One of them bore a striking resemblance to Mikoyan—it was none other than his younger brother, Artem Mikoyan, the head and chief designer of the MiG Design Bureau. The other was an authoritative expert in the field of Soviet aviation engines, the chief designer of the Klimov Design Bureau, Alexey Klimov.

I controlled the portions to ensure Zhan Tingbai did not eat too much at once. For someone who had been starving for days, eating to satiety in one sitting could cause severe physical harm.

Rarely did the Regent show such interest, and those who habitually flattered and fawned over him were quick to chime in. Furthermore, like Su Jinxi and Murong Qi, those who noticed the massive object being transported into the Imperial Garden were even less likely to let the opportunity pass, all of them chiming in with eager agreement.

A political broker like Zhou Fohai was accustomed to assessing the situation and keeping a keen eye on the shifting winds; it was only logical that he would keep a backup plan for himself.

His attractive phoenix eyes narrowed naturally, making a gaze that was already inscrutable appear even more complex.

The several cars following behind them slowed down. Watching the Sagitar show no sign of decelerating, charging into the curve with a resolute posture, many of the onlookers widened their eyes in shock.

Zhao Tiezhu gave a simple answer, but that was enough. To the locals in Country B, those two words were proof enough that they were Chinese. Without any obstruction, they successfully entered the construction site.